It was a beautiful morning in Ponyville, with everypony going about their daily routines with added gusto due to the wonderful weather. Celestia's sun was not yet one-third of the way across the sky, and yet the ponies were already bustling about in high spirits. It wasn't just inside the town that this was taking place, either. Just outside of Ponyville, on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, sat a quaint little cottage, surrounded by happy critters, both big and small. With the babbling brook nearby and the birds singing in the air, it was the perfect picture of tranquility. It should have been no surprise then that the yellow-and-pink-maned pegasus that called that place home was in as good of spirits as the happiest Ponyville dweller.
"Here you go, Angel. A nice big bowl of lettuce, just how you like it" Fluttershy gently cooed, pushing the bowl of crisp, fresh leaves toward the little white rabbit. He turned his head away, arms crossed, as he shoved the bowl back towards the mare with a foot-paw, obviously displeased with the meal she had prepared for him. Fluttershy was not dissuaded in the least, however, and instead fell back to plan B.
"So you don't want to eat any of your salad?" She asked innocently, slowly pushing the food back towards her pet. Angel shook his head, still refusing to look at Fluttershy or the lettuce. "Even if I told you there was shredded carrot in it?" That got Angel's attention. He paused, opening a single eye slightly to appraise the bowl with new-found interest. "Carrots that I picked from my garden this morning?" she continued, pretending not to have noticed his reaction. "Carrots that are big, and ripe, and fresh, and crunchy, and--" Fluttershy didn't even get to finish her sentence before Angel attacked the salad with great enthusiasm, devouring the food in mere moments.
Fluttershy smiled sweetly, enjoying any small amount of happiness that she could impart upon her furry friend. This had been how her morning had gone, as all her mornings usually went. She had woken up early, prepared each animal's breakfast, and then served it out to the many critters that called her little homestead home. She always got a thrill in her chest -- a little flutter -- whenever she saw the looks of gratitude and happiness that her kindness brought. She could understand why she was the element of kindness. Being kind just made her so... happy.
With all of her friends now fed and content, it was time for Fluttershy to move on to the next step of her daily routine, which was... Um... She put a hoof to her chin, striking a thoughtful pose in an attempt to jump-start her brain. Huh. She tried desperately to think of any responsibilities she had to fill, but nothing came to mind. Normally, she would have moved back into her cottage to tend to any sick or injured critters, but the last of her patients -- a raccoon with a sore rump and a rather irritable porcupine -- had fully recovered and went back to their homes yesterday, leaving her with no patients and some unexpected free time.
Fluttershy considered her options. The first one that jumped into her head was to go and see what her friends were up to. "Oh... But they're all usually so busy... I wouldn't want to, um, impose" she mumbled out loud to nopony in particular.
"Hey, Flutters'!"
Fluttershy's tiny little heart nearly exploded from the shock of suddenly hearing Rainbow Dash's voice coming from directly behind her. She made an astonishingly goat-like sound before promptly flipping over onto her back, all four hooves extending into the air like stiff boards of wood as her body locked up, telling her that her only chance of survival was to play dead. This caused Rainbow no small amount of joy as she burst out into laughter.
Both mare's recovered in time, Fluttershy from her state of shock and Rainbow Dash from her laughing fit, which was dissolving into a few snickers by the time "Flutters'" managed to climb back onto her hooves. "Oh, um, good morning, Rainbow Dash" Fluttershy mumbled, trying vainly to hide from the energetic pegasus behind her own mane. She was frustrated that she had been so easily scared, but she pushed the thought aside in the face of her closest and oldest friend.
"Haha... hey... hehehe... Fluttershy" Rainbow Dash finally managed to choke out between laughs. "We really gotta work on that fear thing you have" She continued after having reigned in her amusement. "Besides how totally uncool it is, it can't be good for your health, either."
"Oh, um, sorry" Fluttershy whispered, eyes locked on the ground at her hooves. Rainbow Dash sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for her total lack of sympathy.
"Hey, who were you talking to a second ago?" she asked instead, wanting to steer the subject away from Fluttershy's lack of courage.
"Oh, um, myself. You see, I was just thinking how, since I didn't have anything to do right now, I might want to go see how our friends are doing. But then, I thought how they have such important jobs and all, and they were probably too busy to spend any time with me." Fluttershy grew more and more depressed as she spoke, her voice becoming quieter with each word as she lowered herself to the ground in sadness. It was all too much negativity for Rainbow's liking.
"Phttt, is that all?" She asked, waving her hoof through the air as if dispelling her friend's worries. "You know everpony's got time for the second-coolest pony in ponyville."
Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow Dash in confusion. "Who's that?"
Dash slapped her own hoof to her face in exasperation. "I'm talking about you, 'Shy!"
"Oh." Fluttershy blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment. She was now avoiding her friend's gaze out of embarrassment instead of shyness, a tiny smile beginning to form at the corners of her mouth. Rainbow always seemed to have a way of turning her uncomfortably sad feelings into uncomfortably happy ones.
Dash hopped into the air, hovering effortlessly with little wing beats, "Anyway," she continued, completely oblivious to Fluttershy's reaction, "I was just on my way to Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie said we were going to hang out today. If you're not doing anything right now, do you want to come with? I'm not sure what she has planned, but with Pinkie, you know it'll be awesome!"
"Really?" Fluttershy asked, finding it difficult to hide the sudden happiness she felt from receiving the invitation. "Y-You don't think Pinkie will mind?"
"No way!" Dash exclaimed, feeling rather pleased with herself for bringing her friend out of her funk. "We're the two coolest ponies in Ponyville, remember? Who wouldn't want to hang out with us?"
~~~
Sugar Cube Corner was busier than usual, on account of the fine weather. Many of the tables had been moved outside so that ponies could eat while enjoying the sun as well. It was at one of these tables that four friends now sat. Rainbow Dash was slamming a vanilla malt, apparently thinking she was in a competition with somepony. Fluttershy sat beside her, watching Rainbow curiously while taking dainty little bites out of the smallest turtle sunday in Equestria. Across from the two pegasi sat Pinkie Pie, who was cheering on Rainbow Dash as though there actually was a competition and she had placed bits on her friend to win it. Applejack sat beside the pink earth pony, chuckling at her two friends' antics.
"Thanks again fer invitin' me along, you two" Applejack said in her southern drawl. "It's nice bein' able ta relax an' enjoy the sunshine once in a while."
Seeing that Rainbow was only halfway through her malt, Fluttershy spoke up for the both of them. "Oh, that's alright. We were happy for the company. Besides, you looked so sad sitting at that apple cart in the market, cheering you up was the least we could do."
"Mm-hmph" Rainbow muttered around her straw, showing that she had not stopped listening to the conversation.
"Well, thank ya kindly all the same. Ah just don't understand it. Ah didn't sell a single apple today, an' yet this place is busier than a rooster in a hen house."
It was then that Rainbow Dash decided to come up for air. She gasped, putting a hoof to her head as her brain froze over. She realized that slamming an ice-cold malt probably wasn't her brightest idea ever.
"Wait" she said through gritted teeth, trying to think through the pain. "Why would a Rooster in a hen house be busy?"
All three ponies had their own unique reactions to this question. Fluttershy's face reddened significantly as she stared at the ground between her hooves, hoping no one would notice her. Applejack, meanwhile, simply cocked her head and looked at Rainbow in total and utter confusion.
"Really?" the orange mare deadpanned incredulously.
Pinkie Pie, in her usual manner, gasped and started waving a hoof excitedly in the air like a school filly who knew the answer to a question. "Ooh! Ooh! I know this one, pick me! Pick me!" she said enthusiastically. "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very mu--" Any further damage she could have done to Rainbow's innocence was quickly snuffed out by Applejack placing a hoof in Pinkie's mouth.
"That's enough life lessons fer today, thank ya."
Rainbow Dash looked between her friends as her headache began to recede, their reactions leaving her feeling even more confused than before. "Uh, is somepony gonna let me in on the big secret?"
Rainbow turned to her best friend, who had become even quieter than usual after she had opened her mouth. "Shy? You wanna explain it to me?"
To Fluttershy's credit, she didn't faint on the spot. But having her friend's blissfully ignorant curiosity directed at her caused the timid pegasus's blush to expand past her face and all the way down to her hooves. She hadn't even known that was possible!
Seeing the dangerous state of Fluttershy's discomfort, Applejack decided to speak up. "Lemme answer yer question with a question. Do ya know where foals come from?"
It was interesting watching Rainbow's facial expressions as she went through several emotions in the space of a few seconds. At first, it was simply an expression of confusion that seemed to say what does that have to do with a rooster and a hen house? Then it was a look of extreme concentration, that said hmm... Rooster, hen, mommy, daddy, foal... followed by a look of sudden comprehension Oh! before finally settling on a look of embarrassment, awkwardness, and just a dash of being socially uncomfortable, complete with red face and flattened ears. oh...
Applejack nodded, a smug look on her face. "Ah reckon ya got the picture."
Pinkie Pie giggled merrily. "Oh Dashie, you're such a silly filly! Even gummy got that one." She emphasized the point by pulling her pet alligator out of thin air and holding him a foot in front of Dash's nose. She returned his blank and vacant stare with her own look of annoyance.
"Alright, alright, I get the picture. No need to shove my nose in it." She continued to drink her malt moodily, albeit more slowly than before.
Fluttershy seemed to be recovering somewhat from her extreme embarrassment and decided to ask Pinkie Pie what super fun plans she had come up with for today.
"So, um, Pinkie..."
"Yes, Shy-shy?"
"Eep! Um, I was wondering, I mean, if you wouldn't mind me asking, uh, maybe-"
"Oh fer pete's sake, girl, say whachya wanna say!" Applejack huffed, finally losing her patience with the timid pegasus.
"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Rainbow Dash berated, immediately jumping to Fluttershy's defense. "She'll say it when she's good and ready!"
"That's alright Rainb--"
"Oh, well sorry, but Ah'd like ta hear it now rather than when Ah look like Granny Smith!"
"Um, I'm sorry, but--"
"You know how she is, she just needs a little time to build up her courage!"
"Can we just s--"
"Try ta define "a little time"
"Please, st--"
"Why, you got someplace you need to be? 'Cause if so, than you can just LEAVE!"
"Than maybe Ah--"
"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!"
All three mares and half of the restaurant's patrons turned to look at the source of the sudden outburst. Fluttershy sat, both hooves covering her mouth and tears streaming down her face. They all stared at her, completely dumbfounded by her reaction. Before any of them could recover from their shock, she turned on her hoof and leaped into the air, her wings carrying her faster than they ever had before.